Analysis of four Apollo 16 double drive tubes using QEMSCAN® mapping techniques: Implications for sampling the lunar regolith in highland terrains

The lunar regolith contains a rich history of Solar System impact events and solar activity. Many future missions will land in the south polar region of the Moon, a heavily impact cratered highland terrain, similar to the Apollo 16 landing site. In preparation, it is important to understand regolith processes and the upper stratigraphy of the regolith in typical highlands regions. In this study, we used a nondestructive scanning electron microscope with the QEMSCAN software to analyze the mineralogical compositions and maturities of regolith samples from various depths within four Apollo 16 double drive tubes. Our results support previous analyses made using other techniques that there is a lack of stratigraphic correlation across the central and southern regions of the Apollo 16 landing site, where the cores show lateral and vertical heterogeneities. Our results also show that QEMSCAN is a powerful tool for rapid, quantitative assessment of regolith characteristics. Our findings can serve as an analog for south polar regolith, providing context for upcoming missions looking to sample the subsurface regolith in the south polar region.